Who is in charge?

At SYP, ‘youth-led’ means that young people are the decision makers, while adults are supporters, advisors, and facilitators.

In practice, staff take hundreds of SYP related decisions every work day. To be ‘youth-led’ therefore, we empower young people to take the key decisions that have significant and / or long-term impact. When adults take these day-to-day decisions, they should be informed by knowledge of the views of young people on a topic. A good rule to follow is that young people with knowledge of the topic should never be surprised by a decision taken by adults in a youth-led setting.

Further, as supporters, adults build up by being supportive, deliver training to, and champion young people.

As advisors, adults use their knowledge, research, and expertise to ensure young people have all the information they need to take key decisions.

As facilitators, adults create space for young people to take the key decisions by addressing power imbalances and practising meaningful participation.